Cartmell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Cartmell

What does the name Cartmell mean?

The name Cartmell first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in or near the village of Cartmel in the county of Lancashire (now part of Cumbria.) 1 Thus, Cartmell is a habitation surname which is derived from the name of a place. Like most English local surnames, the name Cartmell was originally preceded by a preposition such as de. However, the preposition had usually been dropped from the name by the end of the 14th century. "The Staffordshire variants of this surname seem to have come from North Lancashire via Cheshire." 2

One source notes: "Cartmell was the name of four tenants in Garstang in the reign of James I." 3

And another sources adds this anecdote: "The signification of this name apparently has reference to the famous passage - at low water - across the Leven sands. The guides over the sands are, or were, called carters, passengers generally being conveyed in carts." 4

Early Origins of the Cartmell family

The surname Cartmell was first found in Lancashire, at Cartmel, a parish, in the union of Ulverston, hundred of Lonsdale north of the Sands. "This place, which is supposed to have derived its name from the British words Kert, a camp, and mell, a fell, or small mountain, according to Camden was given to St. Cuthbert, in 677, by Egfrid, King of Northumbria, with all the Britons inhabiting it. In 782, Ethelred, upon his restoration to the throne of that kingdom, allured from their sanctuary at York the sons of Alfwold, who had been advanced to the crown upon his expulsion, and put them to death at Cartmel. In 1188, William Mareschall, Earl of Pembroke, founded a priory for Regular canons of the order of St. Augustine, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and endowed it with all his lands at 'Kertmell,' " 5 Now a village in Cumbria, it has more recently become known as the "home of sticky toffee pudding."

Early rolls listed: Vckeman de Kertmel in the Pipe Rolls for Lancashire in 1188; William de Kertmel in the Assize Rolls for Lancashire in 1260; and William Cartmett in Yorkshire in 1438; and Peter Cartmayle in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1504. 6

Early History of the Cartmell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cartmell research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1306, 1378, 1563, 1578, 1648, 1664, 1673, 1681, 1701, 1748 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cartmell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cartmell Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Cartmell has appeared include Cartmill, Cartmills, Cartmell, Cartmells, Kertmell, Cartmele, Cartmail, Kartmill, Kartmell, Certmill, Cartnell and many more.

Early Notables of the Cartmell family

Distinguished members of the family include

Robert Cartmell of Lancashire

Migration of the Cartmell family to Ireland

Some of the Cartmell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 198 words (14 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cartmell migration to Canada +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Cartmell arrived in North America very early:

Cartmell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary E. Cartmell, who was recorded in the 1871 census of Ontario

Cartmell migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cartmell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Cartmell, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Elizabeth Cartmell, English convict from Cumberland, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on October 4, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Cartmell (post 1700) +

Nathaniel John "Nate" Cartmell (1883-1967), American gold, two-time silver and bronze medalist basketball player, the first head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
J. B. Cartmell, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1924
Harriett Hord Cartmell, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Maysville, Kentucky, 1986-90
David Cartmell (b. 1951), American politician, Mayor of Maysville, Kentucky, 1999-
Sir Harry Cartmell (1857-1923), English solicitor and politician, Mayor of Preston, Lancashire (1913-1919)
Fraser Cartmell (b. 1982), Scottish triathlete, multiple Scottish champion, three time Ironman 70.3 UK winner, and Ironman UK 2010 winner

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1851 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1851